Dr. Sanaz Ghazal, United States

I cannot imagine going through this process with anyone other than Dr. Ghazal and the Rise team. From our first consultation through graduation, they were kind, compassionate, attentive, and dependable. Through the good and the bad, we trusted them completely with every decision. Every decision Dr. Ghazal made was right for us. Every email I sent was answered within hours, every call was answered immediately, and every result was available in record time. At Rise, we never felt like “just a number.” We highly recommend them!

I recently emailed a nurse at RISE comparing graduating from RISE and going to an OB to a breakup followed by a terrible first date! The care at RISE is unlike any care I have received before, and I am extremely grateful for their care during IVF, the genetic testing protocol, and embryo transfer. Dr. Ghazal is not only experienced and knowledgeable, but also kind and sincere. She truly cares about her patients as future parents. We trusted every decision and mid-cycle adjustment because we knew she was closely monitoring our cycle for success. Our nurse coordinator, Laura, was by far the most helpful, supportive, and understanding nurse I could have asked for—she always knew what we needed before I did. She never hesitated to answer my silly questions quickly and supported me in every way, including with injections, advice, and being the ultimate cheerleader during procedures. I can honestly say I do not know how I would have managed without her, and I wish we could keep her in our pocket for the next part of our journey! During our early-morning appointments, we received the full support of the entire RISE team. Heidi and Krystal treated us like their own family, which was incredible. They stayed positive when I could not and made me feel at home. I could obviously go on, but if you are considering RISE, do not hesitate any longer. Anyone would be fortunate to be their patient! ❤️

Today we graduated from Rise Fertility. What does that mean? Hundreds of injections, a successful egg retrieval, and successful embryo implantation, but most importantly, our family will welcome a baby girl thanks to this beautiful team of angels! They lifted us up when we felt discouraged and brought us joy when we felt hopeless. You can visit every clinic in OC, but there is nowhere like Rise. Their team has become our family. We are grateful and pray for future success for every family longing for a child! It is all worth it! Thank you, Dr. Ghazal, Heidi, Krystal, Angie, Laura, and Taylor. We could not have done this without you! We love you all!

As I write this at 24 weeks pregnant, my husband and I could not be more grateful to Dr. Ghazal and the entire RISE team. Infertility is an extremely difficult journey physically, emotionally, and mentally. Having a compassionate and empathetic team was essential to us. From the initial consultation through every subsequent appointment, and there are many during IVF, I felt fully informed, supported, and heard. We are deeply grateful to RISE for helping us realize our dream of building a family. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

After 10 years of TTC, being treated by multiple previous fertility clinics, 3 failed transfers and none of them seeking further missed diagnosis. Dr. Ghazal and NP Heidi never gave up on us. They always listen to our concerns and tried different protocols. We were finally able to have our take home baby this past fall 2024. 🥰💕 Thank you team for all your support and willingness to help us achieve parenthood.

This review and my gratitude to Rise Fertility are long overdue. One year ago, as a single woman in my thirties, I made the empowering decision to freeze my eggs at Rise Fertility. From the beginning, the team’s warmth, compassion, and professionalism made all the difference. Dr. Ghazal was thorough and honest, ensuring I felt informed and at ease throughout the process. Her nurse Laura was wonderful! She went above and beyond, providing consistent support and genuine care that turned an intimidating process into a positive one. The medications were physically and emotionally demanding, but looking back, the relief from the pressure of my biological clock made it all worthwhile. Thank you to the entire team for their dedication and kindness. I could not have asked for better care and support while taking such an important step for my future. I highly recommend Rise Fertility for any fertility treatment.

If you are looking for a fertility clinic with a personal touch, where the staff know your name and genuinely care about your well-being, Rise Fertility is the right choice. My gynecologist referred me to Dr. Ghazal, and from my first appointment, I felt well informed. Dr. Ghazal clearly explained all my options without pressure and helped me make the best decision for my circumstances. Over the course of a year, the Rise team shared both good and bad news with me, but they were always compassionate and supportive. I highly recommend Dr. Ghazal and the entire team at Rise Fertility. Thanks to their care, I am now four months pregnant and could not be more grateful!

I was devastated when another doctor told me I could not become pregnant. Fortunately, I found Rise Fertility! The thought of going through IVF frightened me, but I am so grateful I found Rise Fertility. They helped me have my miracle baby, and the women at Rise made me feel safe in their care. I cannot recommend them highly enough. I am extremely grateful to Rise Fertility.

After two miscarriages, I came to RISE in 2023 for help from the team. I am so glad I did because they helped me determine the next steps for trying to conceive! With their help, I was able to decide to try conceiving on my own, and I gave birth to my baby boy on 6/21/2024. The Rise team gave me the confidence to try once more before pursuing any other intervention. I felt that they cared about me and cared for me! Thank you, Rise team!

Our experience with Rise Fertility, especially Dr. Ghazal, was extremely disappointing and emotionally draining. The clinic failed to provide the care, empathy, and professionalism that every patient, particularly anyone undergoing fertility treatment, deserves. Dr. Ghazal showed no compassion throughout treatment. She rushed through interactions, and her follow-up call after treatment was cold, brief, and dismissive. There was no room for questions, no emotional support, and no indication that she genuinely cared about our situation. Sadly, the lack of empathy extended beyond the doctor. The nurse practitioner we dealt with also showed no care or consideration. Even when my wife broke down emotionally, no one at the clinic showed the slightest compassion. Worse still, after we paid more than $20,000 for treatment, the clinic had the audacity to charge us simply to access our medical records. This was not only unethical but another painful blow after a heartbreaking experience. We would never recommend Rise Fertility. The emotional indifference and lack of patient-centered care are unacceptable. If you need support, compassion, and professionalism during such a vulnerable time, look elsewhere.

Avoid this clinic. After three failures, a clinic should be eliminated, but I gave them five chances. I am deeply saddened by the entire process and hope this review helps other women avoid this poor practice. Weeks later, I am still waiting for a “follow-up,” so it is time to share my experience. I rarely write reviews—this may be my first—but given the sensitive nature of fertility care, sharing this felt important. Although Dr. Ghazal has impressive credentials, including Harvard and Stanford degrees, and is highly skilled in statistics, my overall experience was extremely disappointing and honestly discouraging. From the beginning, the clinic felt disorganized and impersonal. Staff were friendly when contacting me, but there was no check-in, follow-up, or even confirmation that appointments were on the calendar. I had to keep calling to verify appointments and did more work than they did. Every appointment required cash payment in advance, even before a five-minute Zoom meeting, while Dr. Ghazal was often 15-30 minutes late both online and in person. The promised “concierge liaison” never followed up on my laboratory results. I contacted them three more times before I could access the portal, which loaded incorrectly every time. To view results I had already paid for, I had to book another appointment and pay an additional $125 for an explanation. Also note that the doctor will not take the call until the credit card transaction has processed. I do not mind paying cash for excellent service or medical care, and we are financially comfortable, but the way they requested payment was very strange. As a business owner, I found it inappropriate. After only a few tests, which did not seem thorough, she quickly labeled me with “unexplained infertility” and immediately shifted the conversation to IUI, while saying it might not work, then presented IVF as the only viable option. “You must be exhausted after trying on and off for a year—IVF may be the easiest path for you now.” Calling me “exhausted” felt manipulative. I came for answers, not a supposedly magical procedure that could fail and cost $30,000-$60,000. She gave no answers because every result she found was healthy and normal. Beyond the financial concerns, the lack of compassion hurt most. Fertility treatment is already one of the most emotionally vulnerable experiences a person can face, yet I felt ignored, dismissed, and treated like a number rather than a patient. A process that should have felt supportive and hopeful became transactional and driven by fear. My feedback: this clinic urgently needs better systems, communication, and, most importantly, patient care. Impressive degrees mean little without empathy, organization, and follow-through. Despite this doctor's credentials, I cannot in good conscience recommend her.

They only want your money! I was immediately diagnosed with PCOS here without any hormone laboratory testing or health screening. When I reacted with shock to this sudden diagnosis, Dr. Ghazal said I was “lucky” and had me sit with her financial coordinator to discuss how I would pay tens of thousands of dollars for IUI and IVF. The bloodwork she ordered included only a CBC and T4—no day-21 testing, testosterone testing, or other tests related to hormonal balance. I sought a second opinion from an OB-GYN and was told I definitely did not have PCOS and was actually very healthy. I spent months worrying about my fertility for no reason, and I believe this practice exploits completely healthy women for financial gain.

I was very hesitant to move forward here because of the many negative reviews, but I still gave it a chance and had a consultation. Unfortunately, I left feeling devastated and even more discouraged about my fertility journey. I paid more than $250 for what felt like a rushed and impersonal conversation that was unkind and mean. The doctor asked about my fertility history in such a blunt way that even my husband felt uncomfortable for me as he saw me panic. When I mentioned that I hoped to have 3–4 children in the future, her response was simply, “Given your age, that’s going to be difficult if you don’t start now.” I became emotional, and instead of showing compassion, she brushed it off with, “Yeah, fertility isn’t fair, okay moving on…” That left me shocked and in tears. The TikToks seem funny, until it’s not. She made an apathetic post months ago about how if you wanted a kid by 2026, then your time is out already which was distasteful and horrific. So many women reposted it and spoke ill of it and how it made them go in panic. She is not a people person and is not kind unfortunately along with the nurses there. They are all judgemental. Anyways, Afterward, I was quickly pushed into an exam and then sent to another staff member to discuss finances. That interaction was even more discouraging — I was spoken to in a dismissive, almost judgmental way, as if my ability to pay determined whether I belonged there. The overall impression I got was that this clinic emphasizes luxury (ocean views, prestige, appearances) over actual patient care. I was also told that with any interaction with the Dr., I must pay to speak to her even if it’s to ask a question- which felt very unprofessional and awkward. The entire atmosphere felt cold and transactional. The phone staff were curt, the office staff were judgmental, and the doctor seemed detached, with little bedside manner in a field where empathy should be a priority. Fertility treatment is one of the most emotionally and financially difficult journeys a couple can go through. Patients need a doctor who is not only knowledgeable, but also compassionate, kind, and supportive. I left the clinic crying and heartbroken. This experience confirmed what so many other reviews warned about. If this practice wants to improve, compassion and respect must come first — because right now, it feels like patients are treated as numbers, not people.

Hello, I am using a pseudonym to protect your privacy. I have a question for you: Would you be willing to work with a man to create IVF embryos using donor eggs? He wants to donate all the embryos to Snowflakes Embryo Adoption rather than use them himself. He hopes to continue his maternal grandparents' bloodline because they have very few descendants—one cousin died as a child in the 1980s, and the cousin's father had no more children before dying 15 years later—and his maternal grandfather was an only child. However, he strongly wishes to avoid parental responsibility if possible. He would like to be a sperm donor, even an open donor, but unfortunately does not qualify for anonymous donation because he has autism, ADHD, anxiety, an arrhythmia, mild obesity, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. He may or may not qualify as an open donor, but the question is whether anyone would accept a donor like him, even though he graduated from a good university. He therefore believes that creating embryos with donor eggs and donating them immediately afterward is the best way to leave his maternal grandparents a biological legacy after his death. Would you truly be willing to work with a man like this?

I went to this clinic in 2023. I was treated less than a human being, which led to an emotionally painful experience. I spoke with Dr. Ghazal about the treatment I received and that I paid for services not rendered. I asked for a refund for services not done and she agreed to refund me. I was on the fence about doing another IVF cycle. She agreed to let me think about it before obtaining the refund, without a deadline. I decided to think about it for a while. I called the office in October of 2025 to ask for my refund that was agreed upon. No one has called me back. The receptionist stated she would pass my request on to the East Coast office that handles financial dealings. She said they should call me within two weeks. No one called back. I have made multiple attempts to speak to someone at the clinic who could assist. The only thing I have been able to do is leave messages with the receptionist that have NEVER been returned. They also didn't respond to my complaint with the BBB. IVF is an emotional rollercoaster. We are human beings, not dollar signs. Anyone who has gone through this knows how difficult it is. I have since found out from other specialists that the IVF cycle should not have been done until after I had a surgery that could have improved the outcome. Dr. Ghazal seemed kind at the time, but her staff were rude, especially in email communications. They had no problems returning my calls and emails when they were getting something out of it. I also think "certain" types of people were treated better. Do not go to this clinic. If you can afford the consultation fee at multiple clinics, do so. However, doing that is not a guarantee of good care. Some of these clinics put on a good show at your initial visit and then change for the worse. Choose a place you feel safe and cared about, at the very least. I am still hoping to get this matter resolved.

I had a terrible experience with IVF and a frozen embryo transfer at RMA. I spent about 4 ten thousand yuan in total. I recommend finding somewhere better and spending your time and money wisely. The staff were cold, uncaring, and unhelpful. I did not expect to see the doctor only twice, with nurses handling every other visit.